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Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad dies aged 91

Company says man who founded firm in 1943 aged 17 died peacefully at home in Sweden

Please say why in the title it is said in Present Simple Tense "Ingvar Kamprad dies aged 91"? Why not Past Simple Tense. What a rule can describe this?

Maksim
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1 Answers1

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It is not a rule; it is customary usage in news headlines in order to provide a sense of freshness.

brec
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    Yep. That's pretty much it. The news likes to report something as if it's just happening. – Andrew Jan 28 '18 at 18:12
  • In addition to the sense of freshness, it also adds additional information by clarifying that it's about a current event. Using past tense allows more plausible interpretations of the sentence. – Peter Jan 28 '18 at 21:45
  • Thanks for the clarification, but seeing Present Tense when it is related to a death is pretty odd though. – Maksim Jan 29 '18 at 19:10